Seeing the amazing in the ordinary: what is the secret of Shin Noguchi's wonderful street photos
Snowfalls, children, a giraffe and sleeping in the subway-Shin Noguchi snatches truthful and unusual moments in the daily life of Japan.
His passion and talent gave Noguchi the fame of a great street photographer. One of his pictures — a woman in a yellow skirt-was included in the book "100 great street Photos" (Prestel, 2017).
The photographer, who lives in the ancient Japanese city of Kamakura, located 70 km from Tokyo, regularly holds exhibitions of his works around the world, and is also a laureate of several prestigious international photo competitions.
Noguchi says that almost every day he goes out on the streets of his hometown and just hangs around in search of interesting and bright shots. It sounds incredibly simple, but just look at what lively, extraordinary and unforgettable photos are obtained as a result of such a seemingly uncomplicated creative process!
I would like to share these beautiful moments with other people, and at the same time I would be glad if they noticed that extraordinary things happen in ordinary life. Everywhere and at any time.
I would like to write these words into my project: "I am here, only here. And you are here, just here. Now something really beautiful and unusual is happening. We have always been connected to each other, and I would like you to feel this: you are never alone, there is always someone who watches your struggle for survival."
He perfectly captures moments that are both ridiculous, strange, but at the same time deeply human. In a colorful and humorous way, Noguchi draws attention to the small quirks of everyday life: failures, accidents, original moments, things that people do when they think that no one sees them. His eye is drawn to personal and internal incidents that unfold amid the hustle and bustle of Japanese city life.
Keywords: Asia | Japan | Photographer | Street photo | Street photography